Eyeglass frame



Jan 3, 1928. 1,654,996 I. M. SCHWAB EYEGLA S S FRAME Filed Oct. 22, 1925' Fig. .2

- INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 3, 1928,

' UNITED i STATES ISAAC M. SCHWAIB, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

EYEGLASS FRAME.

Application filed October 22, 1925.

This invention relates to eye lass frames.

An object of this invention is to produce an eye-glass frame which will be simple in construction and easy of manipulation.

A further object of the invention is to produce an eye-glass frame which may be folded into compact form for the pocket and which may be readily released to position for use. p

A further object is to produce device of the character described which is mechanically strong and which is durable in use.

A further object of the invention is to produce a portion of an eye-glass frame which will resist wear and insure that the frame will at all times operate properly.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

It has been proposed heretofore to produce eyeglass frames in which the rims are each pivoted to a spring how by a spring hinge in such a manner that the two rims may be folded over each other about the spring hinges to bring the frame into compact form for the pocket. In this construction the fame is provided with a catch to hold it in folded form, and the frame is so arranged that as the catch is released, the spring hinges act to open the frame in position for use. When, however, such a. frame is constructed of organic material, such as shell or Xylonite or other celluloid compounds, great difliculty has been experienced by reason of the wearing of the spring hinge where the metallic bow is connected to the organic rim. Moreover, the large hole which it is necessary to provide in the rim to accommodate the hinge and its spring causes a weakness at that point in the rim because of which it is easily broken.

Attempts to remove this difhculty by inserting a strip of metal in a slot in the material parallel to the face of the rim at the point where the opening for the spring pivot is drilled, have not proven satisfactory. In accordance with such a construction, the spring, annexed as it is in the chamber by drilling through the organic nois and objects of the Serial No. 64,069.

terial and the metallic reinforcement, wears the chamber larger where it extends through the organic material than where it touches the metal. This results in a binding of the spring on the metal and it permits the joint to become loose so far as lateral movement is concerned, which looseness is highly objectionable.

In accordance with this invention, it has been found that a metallic cylinder which completely surrounds the spring and itself furnishes a housing therefor may be made to solve this difliculty completely.

For a fuller understanding of the nature invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a frame made in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of a fragment thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a development of the spring housing.

The numerals 1 and 2 represent respectively the right and left rims of the frame which are held together by a spring bow 3 spring pivoted at each end of one of the rims. The numeral 4 designates a nose guard which may be of any convenient form. A handle member 5 upon the rim 2 carries a spring catch 6 in position to engage a notch 7 in a plate 8 upon the rim 1. lVith this construction, when the two rims are pressed towards each other, the rim 1 being pressed slightly back to pass the rim 2. the rims turn about the pivots at the end of the bow 3 into superposed position until the catch 6 enters into the notch 7. Thereafter the'releasc of the catch 6 will cause the spring pivots at the end of the bow 3 to restore the frame to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The spring connection between the bow and the rims is shown in Figure 2. in accordance with which there is drilled through the rim 1 an orifice 9 and there is inserted therein a housing 10. This housing may be formed from a blank substantially an inverted T shape as shown in Figure 3, having a stem 11 and flanges 12 and 13. The overall length of this T measured in the direction of extension of the stem 11 is such that when the stem 11 is rolled to form a cylinder 14, the outside diameter oft-hatcylinder ear fit tightly wit the ori ice upon the flanges 12 and13 may be bent downwardly on the sides of the rim 1, preferably inset therein and retained in place by a rivet 15 extending through openings 16 Some place in the length of the blank, there is furnished a notch 17 for in the flanges.

diameter of the screw 20 are such as to pro-- vide between them sufficient clearance to accommodate a spring 21-, one end of which is caught in the notch 17 to prevent rotation and the other end is caught in the lug 18, whereby said how is forced upwardly as shown in Figure 2 until a projection 22 thereon engages astop 23 upon the rim.

By this simple construction, a housing is provided adapted completely and satisfactorily to enclose the spring 21 and this housing protects the rim proper from contact with the spring and thus prevents such wear and tear upon the material of the rim as to allow the joint to become loose. Furthermore, the carrying of the flanges 12 and 13 outwardly of the )ivot tends to distribute strains, such for example as that caused by opening and closing the spring hinge, over a large part of the material of the rim, and to remove the strain from the point opposite the pivot where the rim is naturally weakest. Moreover, the flanges 1 2 and 13 riveted as they are to the rim, prevent rotation of the housing under the influence of the spring 21. T hus,'it will be seen that the strainsincident to o-p'enin and closing the glasses are taken from the rim at its weakest point and distributed over considerable area at a point where the rim is comparatively much stronger.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodi ments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown 1n the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as il l'ustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to" cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said-to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising, in combination, a pair of rims, a cylinder embedded in eachof said rims, a bow connected to each of said rims having a pivot through said cylinder, arm's attached to said cylinder and to said rim for preventing rotation of the cylinder relative to the rim, and a spring surrounding said pivot co-operating atone end with said bow and at the other end with said rim.

2. A device of the characterdescribed, including in combination a non-metallic eye glass frame and a pivot housing inibedded within said frame comprising a metallic cylinder extending through said frame from side to side and having a wing extensionextending over the'side ofsaid frame, and by which it is'attached to said frame.

3. A housing for spring pivots for-the attachment of non-metallic eye glass frames to their supports, comprising a T-shaped blank having the stem of the T rolled into a cylinder "for the reception of the spring,

the axis ofthe cylinder beine; parallel to the cross-arms oi the T and the circumference of said cylinder including the width of saidcross arms, whereby-there is formed a cylindrical member having extensions in the projected surface of the cylinder adapted to be bent transverse to the axis of the cylinder after the housing is inserted in an eye glass frame.

4-. A housing for spring pivots for the attachment of non-metallic eye glass frames to ISAAC M. SCI'DVAB. 

